“I think talk of work can wait until later…”

He brushed a finger across the smoothness of her lips. “Whereas this…can’t.”

His hands gently cupped her face as his head lowered toward hers. The touch of his lips against hers and the way he held her as he kissed her felt incredibly sensual and possessive. It was no gentle kiss either; it was powerfully masterful, very dominant. Charlie’s senses swam with desire, and before she could think better of it, she was kissing him back with a hungry response. She was aware that his fingers moved to lace through her hair, controlling her as he thoroughly explored the sweetness of her mouth.

Charlie’s emotions were all over the place as he pulled away. A part of her wanted to go back into his arms, wanted him to continue kissing her. The other part was mortified by how easily she had just capitulated to his caress, by how wantonly she had returned his kisses. He was her boss, for heaven’s sake! This could only lead to disaster.

KATHRYN ROSS was born in Zambia, where her parents happened to live at that time. Educated in Ireland and England, she now lives in a village near Blackpool, Lancashire. Kathryn is a professional beauty therapist, but writing is her first love. As a child she wrote adventure stories, and at thirteen she was editor of her school magazine. Happily, ten writing years later, Designed with Love was accepted by Harlequin®. A romantic Sagittarian, she loves traveling to exotic locations.

Mediterranean Boss, Convenient Mistress

~ HIRD: FOR THE BOSS’S PLEASURE ~

Kathryn Ross

MEDITERRANEAN BOSS, CONVENIENT MISTRESS

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

CHARLIE opened her eyes and memories from the night before flashed through her mind with agonising clarity. The date had been a complete disaster.

She hadn’t really minded the fact that the man she’d met had turned out to be five feet two instead of six feet two, as he had described himself on his profile, or even the fact that he had been nearer to fifty than thirty…she wasn’t ageist and she didn’t think that looks were the most important things in life. However, his grey pony-tail had been a bit of a turn-off…as had the fact that they had absolutely nothing in common except that they were both divorced.

After the first fifteen minutes the date had gone rapidly downhill. Maybe internet dating wasn’t a good idea. She shouldn’t have allowed her friends to talk her into it.

The alarm clock rang and she reached sleepily to switch it off. A few moments later Jack came running into the bedroom. ‘Time to get up, Mummy,’ he sang in his usual happy tone before bounding into the bed to give her a hug.

‘Morning, darling.’ She kissed the top of his dark silky hair.

‘Nana let me have chocolate and watch TV with her when you went out last night.’

‘Did she?’ Charlie smiled. ‘Nana spoils you to bits.’

If it had been a weekend they would have snuggled down for a little while and chatted. For a four-year-old Jack was a great conversationalist…. probably better than her date last night, she thought with a smile. But this was Friday and there was no time for frivolity.

‘Come on, then we’d better get you ready for school.’

The cottage felt cold, Charlie thought, and she put her hand on the radiator as they padded through to the bathroom. The central heating hadn’t come on, which meant there was very little hot water.

Once she had dressed Jack she went to investigate the problem, but she couldn’t fix it, so it was a job for the plumber again. She dreaded to think how much the repairs were going to cost.

After that there was just time for her to tie her long blonde hair back from her face, grab a piece of toast and flick through the morning post. Bills, bills and more bills…pretty much the norm. The terraced cottage was small but it cost a fortune to maintain.

At the moment Charlie was a PA and worked as a temp for an agency owned by her friend Karen. Her current position working for a doctor of psychology, who was also a bestselling author, was her most profitable assignment to date. But she still found it hard to balance her finances. The truth was that running a house and being a single mum wasn’t easy and at the end of the month there wasn’t a lot left over for luxuries…let alone boiler repairs!

But she would manage, she told herself firmly as they left the house. She always did.

It was a misty September morning and her old car coughed and spluttered before flaring into life. Then Jack pushed a CD into the player and they sang along with some classic love songs all the way through the rush-hour traffic.

Twenty minutes later, with Jack safely ensconced at school, she pulled back out into the traffic. She turned the volume up and hummed along to the CD as she headed for Oxford and her heart lifted. OK, so her date last night had been dreadful and there had been nothing but bills in the post, but she had the best son in the world and at the moment she was working for a very dishy boss. Just thinking about Marco Delmari gave her a little flip of anticipation.

When she had first started working for him she had instantly been attracted to his sizzling good looks. Then reluctantly her common sense had taken over and told her not to even think about it, because the job was too good to put at risk, and besides, she had priorities, she had Jack. Anyway, she realised she wasn’t his type. Marco preferred stick-thin, model-perfect and incredibly glamorous women. She on the other hand was none of those things and, although she had nice hair and skin and large green eyes, unfortunately she had to wear spectacles most of the time at the office; otherwise she couldn’t read the computer screen.

So not even by the flicker of an eyelash had she let him guess she thought he was gorgeous. Instead she had made herself indispensable and politely businesslike, with the result that he sang her praises, and told her how pleased he was that she had streamlined his office system and his diary. And in the last few months they had relaxed around each other and formed a repartee that was very enjoyable.

She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Marco had to go into London to give a radio interview this morning and she wasn’t sure if she’d see him before he left the office.

She took a few shortcuts down narrow, leafy lanes and arrived outside her boss’s Georgian red-brick house on the outskirts of Oxford ten minutes early. His car was still parked in the courtyard and she felt a flash of exhilaration as she grabbed her briefcase and hurried up the steps to open his front door.

Her footsteps sank into the thick Persian carpets as she hurried across the wide hallway. The house was a designer’s dream, decorated in restful shades of butter-gold and cream, and furnished with stylish antiques to exactly fit the period property. But today there was no time to admire her surroundings and she went straight up the stairs to the office.

‘Morning, Marco,’ she said breezily as she stepped through the door and tossed her bag down on her desk. ‘Beautiful day, isn’t it?’

He was standing with his back towards her, looking out of the window.

‘Yes, beautiful.’ He turned and looked over at her, and as usual she felt a frisson of awareness as she met his intensely sexy dark eyes.

OK, she was relaxed around him, but not enough to stop noticing how wildly attractive he was. Marco was Italian with broodingly intense looks. His thick dark hair just brushed the collar of his blue shirt and his face was autocratically strong and handsome. The first time she had seen him was on TV and she remembered being totally taken aback by his appearance. She hadn’t expected a doctor of psychology to look like him. For a start he was too young. She had pictured someone older, someone staid. The reality was a man of thirty-seven, tall, dark and powerfully built, wearing chinos and an open-necked shirt. In all honesty he had the kind of looks that a movie star would die for. Not that Marco seemed concerned about his appearance.

As soon as Charlie had started to work for him she realised that the only thing that really mattered to Marco was his work.

He had girlfriends, of course…all extremely beautiful and all crazy about him. In the short time she had worked for him she had watched them come and go, had observed how oblivious he was to their adoring looks. He really didn’t have a clue how many hearts he had broken with his casual, laid-back indifference.

Marco smiled at her and a shiver of pleasure ran up her spine.

‘So how was your date last night?’

His sudden question caught her off guard. She’d forgotten she’d told him about her date. He’d casually asked about her plans last night as she put her coat on to leave…He’d only been making polite conversation and she could have said what she usually said—‘Nothing much’—or she could have invented some parent meeting at Jack’s school, but oh, no, she had opened her mouth and before she knew it the truth had popped out.

‘It was OK,’ she answered airily now, but couldn’t quite meet his eye. She hated lying but the truth was far too embarrassing. ‘Shouldn’t you be getting ready to leave for the radio station?’ Swiftly she changed the subject and glanced at her watch. Marco was due to give an interview at the BBC to promote his new book, an analytical study into why love shouldn’t be the number-one reason for a partnership. ‘If you don’t set off soon you’ll be late—the traffic going into London will be horrendous. It’s Friday morning, remember.’

‘Yes, I do realise that, Charlie. I’m waiting for Sarah; she wants to accompany me in and go over a few of the questions she thought they might ask.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Charlie switched on her computer. Sarah Heart was Marco’s agent and publicist, an extremely pushy woman with an excess of confidence. Charlie found her grating. But she was good at her job and that was all that counted, she supposed.

‘I don’t know where she’s got to but if she isn’t here within the next five minutes I’ll have to leave without her,’ Marco muttered. He turned his back towards her again and looked out of the window, down towards the courtyard.

‘Do you want me to phone her on her mobile?’

‘I’ve already tried that. I just got her messaging service.’

‘She’s probably stuck in traffic somewhere.’

‘Probably.’

Charlie wondered if it was her imagination or if Marco really was unusually edgy this morning. Maybe he was just concerned about being late for this interview, although he certainly wouldn’t be worried about it. Marco was very good at dealing with the media; he was always laid-back and extremely amusing and entertaining.

In fact he was much in demand on radio and TV these days and was fast becoming quite a celebrity. Academically he was brilliant and his books were always well-received, but Charlie suspected that his heightened profile and recent success was more to do with the fact that he was so captivating he even made the subject of psychology seem sexy.

There was a moment’s silence as Charlie sat down at her desk and took her reading glasses out of her handbag.

‘So Mr “Dreamboat” lived up to expectations, then?’ Marco asked suddenly.

The question seemed outrageously personal and out of place in the scholarly surroundings of the book-lined office, a place where emotions were only ever discussed in the most analytical and diagnostic of terms.

‘Well…’ Charlie could feel her skin heating up with embarrassment as he turned and looked at her again. If it had been a mistake telling Marco about her date it had been an even bigger one telling him she’d met the man on the internet. As soon as the words were out she had imagined a hint of derision in his eyes that had made her go on to tell him that internet dating was very ‘in’, everyone was doing it, and the man she’d arranged to meet seemed very nice…in fact, more than nice—a bit of a dreamboat actually.

She should never have said that, she thought now with annoyance. She felt really foolish.

‘Well?’ Marco prompted her.

‘He was OK…’

‘That’s good.’ He inclined his head. ‘I was a bit concerned.’

‘You were?’ She looked over at him in surprise.

‘Yes. Meeting up with a total stranger can be risky.’

‘I suppose so.’ She was filled with a warm feeling inside. It was a long time since anyone had shown concern about her welfare. ‘But I was careful; we met in a crowded restaurant and I didn’t give him any of my personal details.’

‘Well, I’m glad it worked out for you.’

‘Actually it was a bit of a disaster,’ she admitted a little awkwardly. ‘We had nothing in common.’

‘Oh!’ Marco looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ‘Not a recipe for a second date, then?’

Charlie shook her head. ‘It was a struggle getting through one date, never mind two. I couldn’t wait to say goodbye to him outside the restaurant.’

Marco looked amused now. ‘You didn’t give him much of a chance, did you?’

‘I didn’t need to give him any longer,’ Charlie said briskly.

‘I suppose not, and it’s better to find out you are not compatible sooner rather than later.’

She nodded. ‘Trouble was, I knew we weren’t compatible within the first fifteen minutes.’

‘No, you knew that the chemistry wasn’t instantly there,’ he corrected her. ‘That’s something entirely different.’

‘Not to me it’s not! I know your professional views on this, Marco, and I agree with them to a certain extent. Maybe love can grow if you work at a relationship, but the chemistry has to be there to start with.’

‘The chemistry can be a double-edged sword,’ Marco said carefully. ‘Sometimes it gets in the way of the truth; blinds you to the fact that you are not at all compatible.’

‘It still needs to be there to begin with.’

‘Not necessarily.’

‘Of course it does…I mean, you just know when you meet someone if it’s going to be right…don’t you?’

Marco smiled. He had a nice smile, she thought; it seemed to warm his eyes to dark golden honey. ‘No. You know that you’d enjoy going to bed with them,’ he said softly. ‘That is an entirely different thing.’

Charlie wondered how they had got on to that subject, and suddenly felt uncomfortably hot. She always tried to keep conversations with Marco inside a safety zone, friendly but businesslike and never too personal.

‘But you are right,’ he continued smoothly. ‘Desire can be a very important part of a relationship. It’s central to a good rapport to enjoy each other in bed.’

Charlie could feel herself getting even hotter on the inside now. Marco’s Italian accent had a sexy depth to it that was mesmerising, as was the way he was looking at her with those molten dark eyes. Without warning she found herself wondering what it would be like to go to bed with him. The question was shocking and yet at the same time wildly exciting. He would probably make a fantastic lover.

‘But there is no such thing as love at first sight, if that is what you are driving at,’ Marco concluded laconically.

The words drew her back to reality from the strange feelings that had taken hold of her. ‘Actually, I think there is,’ Charlie said staunchly. ‘My parents fell in love at first sight and they were married for thirty-three years.’

Marco shook his head. ‘That was lust at first sight.’ He noted the look of horror in her eyes and laughed. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, Charlie, but your parents would have had to get practical and work at their marriage to make it last thirty-three years.’

‘It was still love at first sight,’ Charlie maintained stubbornly.

Marco shook his head. ‘I take it you are a bit of a romantic.’

‘No!’ She didn’t know why she hotly denied the charge, because she was a hopeless romantic. Maybe it had something to do with the sudden derisive tone of his voice.

Marco watched the colour deepen in her creamy skin, saw the way her green eyes sparkled with annoyance, and smiled. ‘I think you are,’ he said softly. ‘In fact, I think that maybe deep down you would like to find the kind of relationship that your parents enjoyed…complete with love at first sight.’

‘You mean I’m looking for something you say doesn’t exist,’ Charlie muttered angrily. ‘Any minute now you are going to ask me to lie down on your couch. I don’t need to be psychoanalysed, thank you, Marco. I had a disastrous date last night but it hasn’t left me scarred. I am quite well-adjusted, thank you.’

Marco laughed.

For some reason that irritated her even further.

Marco watched as she brushed a self-conscious hand over the smoothness of her hair and noticed how she swiftly changed the subject. ‘You’re going to be late for your interview,’ she said crossly.

He smiled to himself. Charlie intrigued him and had done so since the first moment she had walked into his office. There was something about the way she carried herself with a cool dignity that was quite beguiling. Never once during the months she had worked for him had he known her to completely lower the barriers that surrounded her. However, as the weeks had gone by an easy compatibility had sprung up between them and her wary reserve had fallen a little. He noticed in particular that when he asked about her son she came alive with a warmth that was completely captivating.

On the other hand she certainly wasn’t at ease talking about her date last night…watching her blush was a whole new revelation, as was the vulnerable glint in her green eyes when he had accused her of being a bit of a romantic. She had thought he’d just wanted to psychoanalyse her, but he didn’t need to get her on the couch to know that some man had hurt her badly…probably her ex-husband. But that wasn’t any of his business and he certainly didn’t want to pry into her personal life.

One of the things he liked about Charlie was the fact that she was so self-contained. Her practical attitude in the office was a real bonus. It suited him to have someone calm and reliable around, someone who didn’t get emotional. His last PA had been a nightmare. She’d been through a series of relationship break-ups, and when he’d offered a word of sympathy she had developed a weird kind of fixation on him that had made work impossible. After that experience he had decided to hire a temp for a while. Charlie was a real blessing. She was always on an even keel, steady and dependable. Charlie never came into the office hung-over or late after a wild night on the tiles. In fact—bizarrely, considering the fact Charlie was in her late twenties and an attractive woman—she didn’t appear to have a love life. Maybe he had even started to take that fact for granted…Why else had he been so taken aback when she’d told him about her date last night?

She stood up now to go and get a file from one of the cabinets and he found his eyes following her. He’d probably just been concerned about her. Sometimes, despite her self-possessed manner, he sensed an underlying vulnerability about her…. something he was sure she took great trouble to hide.

Yes, that was it…he’d just been concerned for her safety last night. His attention was distracted as she reached up to a high shelf to get a new folder. For a moment he was treated to a clear view of her shapely body. As his eyes drifted down over her curves he wondered, not for the first time, why she always wore clothes that hid her physique so completely. She had a nice hourglass figure which was very desirable, but you could hardly see it in the shapeless black business suit.

Annoyed with himself, he looked away and glanced at his watch. He had more important things to think about. ‘Looks like Sarah isn’t going to make it. I’ll have to leave without her.’

‘When she arrives, shall I tell her to follow you to the studio?’ Charlie asked as she sat back down at her computer.

Marco watched as she put her spectacles on and concentrated on the screen as if she had dismissed him entirely from her mind.

‘No.’ Marco shook his head. ‘Because you’ll have to come with me instead.’

She looked up at him in surprise. ‘But I’ve got research notes to catalogue—’

‘You’ll have to leave them until later,’ Marco said firmly. ‘Come on, be quick. I need you to drive because I have notes to read. And, bearing in mind the lateness of the hour…you might have to drop me at the door and park the car for me.’

Charlie took off her spectacles and with reluctance found herself switching off her computer. Then, snatching up her bag, she followed him down the stairs. It was strange but since that conversation about her love life she felt a bit on edge around him somehow. It was as if the professional barriers that she had managed to keep in place around him had suddenly been shifted to one side.

CHAPTER TWO

CHARLIE had to practically run to keep up with Marco as they crossed the courtyard at the side of his house. She scrabbled in her bag for her keys as she stopped next to her car.

‘What are you doing?’

She looked up and saw Marco was standing next to his own car.

‘You said you wanted me to drive.’

‘I do. But I meant in my car.’

Charlie looked over at the brand-new gleaming red sports car and quickly decided she definitely didn’t want to drive such perfection through the traffic! ‘Do you mind if we take mine?’

Marco glanced sceptically at her old car. ‘Do you think it will get us there?’

‘Well, it gets me to work every morning!’ she said indignantly.

‘Fine.’ He shrugged and moved towards her vehicle.

Marco was so tall that his legs were crushed up against the dashboard when he got in. He released the seat and moved it backwards as she turned the key in the ignition. As usual the car didn’t want to start immediately.

‘It’s OK—it always does this,’ she reassured him hurriedly in case he started to get out.

The engine flared into life at the next turn of the key and at the same time music filled the car and Marco was treated to a rendition of Love and Marriage as crooned by Frank Sinatra.

Hurriedly Charlie rushed to switch it off and in her haste turned the volume up. ‘Sorry!’ she shouted over the sentimental words about how love and marriage went so well together and then switched the CD off. But the music kept on and it was a moment before she realised that it was the radio that was playing.

‘That was Frank Sinatra’s opinion of love and marriage,’ The DJ said cheerfully, ‘but in a short time we will be talking to the eminent Dr Marco Delmari about his new book and why he thinks putting love at the top of your list when you get married could spell disaster.’

‘Sorry, I thought it was my CD that was playing,’ Charlie said uncomfortably as she turned the volume down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Marco had found the cover for the CD of love songs and was reading through the track list.

‘And you tried to tell me you weren’t a romantic.’ He looked over at her with wry humour.

‘I’ve also got classical music in the glove compartment and a selection of rock albums.’

Marco smiled. ‘Interesting. I wouldn’t have had you down as a rock chick. Do you have the leathers and the bike too?’

‘But of course,’ she lied with a bat of her dark lashes. ‘I didn’t realise you were analysing me.’

‘Of course I am.’ He laughed. ‘It’s what I do.’ He slanted her a teasing look. ‘And by the way, there is nothing wrong with being a bit of a romantic,’ he added softly.

‘That’s not what it says in your book.’

‘No, what I said in my book was that people get carried away by the idea of romance. That they imagine themselves in love too easily, when in fact they are just in lust, which is absolutely fine for a short-term affair, but for a longer-term commitment you need more stability.’

‘“Love should not be the only reason for marriage.”’ Charlie quoted one of the lines from his book.

‘Ah…So you have read it, then.’

‘Of course I’ve read it.’ She looked over and found that he was still watching her with a light of amusement in his dark eyes. ‘I bought a copy before I started to work for you.’

‘As a precursor to internet dating?’

‘No, as research towards working for you…and actually, just for the record, last night was my first sojourn into the world of internet dating.’

‘Will you continue with it?’

‘If you’d asked me that question when I got home last night I’d probably have said no…. but…’ she paused for thought ‘…I suppose a date like last night’s can happen even when you meet someone under more conventional circumstances.’

‘So you’ll go out again on another date?’

Charlie shrugged. ‘Maybe…’

‘But not with Mr Dreamboat?’

‘Definitely not.’ She smiled at him.

Marco reached across and turned the radio off. ‘So how does this internet dating service work? Do you get to see photos of the people you can date?’

‘Yes, not that it helps much. My dates’s photo must have been at least ten years out of date.’ She glanced over at him teasingly. ‘Why? Are you thinking of trying it yourself?’

‘Not this week,’ he said sardonically and instantly she wished she hadn’t made the joke. Of course, Marco wouldn’t need to look on the internet for a date—unless he was running an experiment for one of his books! But for Charlie, who didn’t go out to socialise a lot—partly because she had to arrange baby-sitters, and partly because she didn’t really like the nightclub or smoky-bars scene—it was a practical solution. ‘It’s just a bit of fun,’ she said with a shrug. But her tone was defensive now.

‘Is it?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘So you aren’t looking for a serious relationship?’

The gently asked question seemed to echo inside her in a very strange way. She had to admit that recently she had been feeling lonely and when she looked around the world suddenly seemed made up of couples. She missed the intimacy of a relationship…not just the sex but the tenderness and warmth and the feeling that someone was there for her.

Not that her ex-husband had ever really been there for her. They had only been married for twelve months when she had fallen pregnant and, although Greg initially seemed to be pleased, she had soon discovered this wasn’t the case.

At the time they had been living in an apartment and had decided to look around and buy a house…something, as Greg put it, more ‘child-friendly’. They had found what they were looking for pretty quickly, the ideal property; a beautiful old cottage out in the countryside.

Charlie had been ecstatic, full of dreams and plans for the future. But although their offer was accepted she had never got her dream cottage. As soon as their apartment was sold Greg had left her, taking half the money from the sale with him.

The shock had been immense. She had loved Greg and believed that he loved her, and she had never suspected for one moment that he wanted out of the marriage. Left alone and pregnant, she’d known there was no way she could afford to buy the cottage on her own, and the sale had dropped through.

So, no, she couldn’t lie to herself—Greg had never been there for her…and he certainly had never bothered with Jack. That hurt more than anything.

She suddenly remembered how the other day she had seen the man next door taking his son out to play football and how for some reason it had made her eyes prickle with tears. But it had just been PMT, she told herself quickly.

She shook her negative thoughts away and answered Marco’s question. ‘I don’t think I want a serious relationship right now, but if someone special came along in the future that would be nice.’ Charlie pulled down the visor of the car to cut the glare of sun that was so low in the sky it was shining straight into her eyes like a light of interrogation. ‘Apart from anything, there are times when I think Jack needs a dad.’ The words slipped out almost without her being conscious of saying them.

‘Doesn’t Jack see his father?’

‘Not really…an occasional phone call and birthday card…’ She glanced over at Marco and suddenly felt completely self-conscious when she found he was watching her with a very serious expression in his eyes. Why was she telling him this? It was none of his business! ‘However, he’s no great loss,’ she added hastily. ‘And I like my independence. I’d certainly rather be on my own than in a bad relationship.’

‘Very wise,’ Marco said with a nod.

‘Anyway, I’m distracting you from your work,’ she said briskly, trying to change the subject. ‘You should be reading your notes.’

‘Yes, I suppose I should.’

Silence descended between them. Charlie felt awkward now as he shuffled through papers. She wished she hadn’t had that conversation. She had to work with the guy and it was always best to keep personal conversations to a minimum and maintain a cool and businesslike front. The strange thing was that recently she had been finding that more and more difficult. Marco was very easy to talk to…but then he would be, she thought suddenly; he was trained to get people to open up and reveal their innermost feelings.

After a few moments she felt his eyes resting on her again. Why did she feel that he was looking at her with closer attention than usual? She glanced over at him questioningly.

‘Sorry, was I staring?’ He shook his head. ‘I just realised that you are not wearing your spectacles. Don’t you need them for driving?’

‘No, it’s OK.’ She smiled and looked back at the road. ‘I’m not going to crash the car. I’m glad to say I only need them in the office for the close paperwork and the computer.’

‘You look different without them.’

‘I know…they don’t suit me, do they?’

‘Actually—’

Charlie was glad that the ring of Marco’s phone interrupted the conversation at that moment. She didn’t want him to politely lie and tell her that her glasses did suit her because in retrospect it sounded as if she had been fishing for compliments, which certainly wasn’t the case.

She watched out of the side of her eye as he took the phone from his inside jacket pocket and flipped it open.

‘Hi, Sarah; where the heck are you?’ he demanded. ‘Really?’ He smiled. ‘No, Charlie was good enough to drive me in. We’ll be about twenty minutes.’ He listened for a moment to something she had to say. ‘I don’t think that will be a problem because I’ve done the research. The facts speak for themselves.’ Marco’s voice held a dry edge now. He was clearly irritated by something. ‘We’ll talk about it later…OK?’ Then he hung up.

‘Problems?’ Charlie asked, overcome with curiosity.

‘Yes, the problem is that sometimes Sarah can be very irritating,’ he said tersely.

Those were Charlie’s sentiments exactly, but she wondered what Sarah had said to aggravate Marco. The pair usually seemed to get on so well, sometimes almost sickeningly so. Many times Charlie had watched as Sarah fawned over him, agreeing with his every word, fluttering her eyelashes coyly and then basking in his attention. There was no doubt in Charlie’s mind that the woman fancied the pants off him, and Marco had never seemed averse to the attention.

They had left the motorway now and Charlie followed the signs for the city centre. ‘You need to turn left down here,’ Marco said as they approached a busy junction.

‘Where is Sarah anyway?’ Charlie asked as she negotiated the traffic.

‘She’s had a crisis on her hands. Apparently one of her celebrity clients has confronted her husband’s mistress in the lingerie department of Harrods and has been arrested for making a public disturbance.’

‘Really?’

Marco nodded. ‘Sarah’s had to rush down to the police station to get her out before the Press get wind of it.’

‘Never a dull moment in her profession.’

‘You can say that again. Yesterday she was trying to talk me into getting married, or at least getting into a monogamous long-term relationship.’

Charlie shot him a startled look. She was so surprised she nearly ran a red light and just put the brakes on in time.

‘It’s her latest business idea apparently.’

‘A business idea?’ Charlie was nonplussed.

‘Yes. As you know, my book is due to be released in America soon and I’m going on tour to promote it. It’s already getting a lot of coverage; magazines and chat shows are discussing my ideas. So it should shoot in high in the book charts.’

‘That’s good. But I still don’t see where Sarah’s idea fits in with this.’

‘Sarah thinks that the fact that I am a bachelor will substantially affect sales. And that I might not make the number-one slot because of it.’

‘That’s ridiculous. It’s a scientific book, not one written from a personal angle. It uses statistics, case studies and research projects.’

‘Exactly. I said all this to Sarah last night. But she still thinks that if I were committed to someone it would give the book vital credence. We had quite a disagreement about it.’

‘She’s unbelievable,’ Charlie muttered and at the same time she wondered if there was method in Sarah’s madness. Perhaps she had herself in mind to be on the arm of her darling doctor? ‘It’s just absurd.’

‘Well…’ Marco shrugged. ‘I suppose if I did get together with someone I could prove my research that love isn’t the most important prerequisite for a successful relationship. However…’ he grinned ‘…I’m not entirely sure I approve of Sarah’s suggestion and I told her that.’

Charlie nodded emphatically and enjoyed picturing the disappointment on Sarah Heart’s face as Marco disagreed with her. Sarah was undoubtedly very beautiful but she had all the warmth of the dark side of the moon. It was somehow gratifying to know that the woman didn’t get everything she wanted.

Marco directed her down some side-streets and a few seconds later they turned through the gates into the radio station. A security guard raised the barrier and allowed them in. ‘Will you park the car, Charlie?’ Marco asked as he looked at his watch. ‘I should go straight in.’

‘Yes, of course.’ She pulled to a halt by the front door. ‘Do you want me to wait for you out here?’

‘No, come in and get a coffee.’ He reached for the handle and stepped out of the car. ‘I’ll tell the receptionist to expect you.’

Charlie noticed how a young woman walking towards the building gave him an admiring look. He said something to her and then held the door so that she could precede him into the building. She looked as if she was going to swoon. It was no wonder, because he really was drop-dead gorgeous, Charlie thought dreamily. Everything about him was sexy, from the way he dressed…to the way he just looked at you as if he could unlock the secrets of your soul. It was little wonder that Sarah Heart had designs on him.

Realising that she was just sitting staring after him, Charlie shook herself out of her contemplation and drove the car around the back of the building to park. Then she collected her bag and walked towards the front entrance.

As she reached the front door a taxi pulled up. The door of the vehicle opened and a pair of high black stiletto boots and long, shapely legs swung out. As Charlie’s gaze moved upwards she saw a red skirt, and then as the woman uncurled herself from the car completely a long black cashmere coat swirled around her. It was Sarah Heart and as usual she looked very glamorous, her long brunette hair shimmering with cappuccino highlights in the sun, the perfect proportions of her face flawlessly made-up with a light smudging of gold frosted shadow over her dark eyes and a glossy shimmer of ruby-red on the fullness of her lips.

‘Hello, Sarah.’ Charlie stood and waited for her.

‘Hi.’ The woman gave her what could only be described as a look of dismissal before turning to pay the taxi driver. Charlie was tempted to just walk into the studio without her, but she forced herself to wait.

‘Did you manage to spring your celeb client from jail?’ she asked as the woman turned to walk with her into the building.

‘Yes, thank you, although it is a confidential matter that I’d rather Marco hadn’t mentioned to you.’

‘Well, maybe you shouldn’t have told him in the first place then.’ Charlie couldn’t resist the retort. Really, the woman could be most disagreeable.

Sarah ignored that. ‘Is Marco already in the building?’ she continued, unperturbed.

‘Yes, he went on ahead.’

‘Good…well, I suppose there is little point in you hanging around, then, not now that I’m here.’

‘Marco has asked me to stay,’ Charlie said firmly. She wasn’t about to be dismissed in such a manner.

‘I thought you might have typing to get on with,’ the woman shrugged, ‘or some filing perhaps.’

Charlie wondered if Sarah practised that condescending tone or if it just came naturally to her. She decided to ignore the remark and followed her towards the front desk.

Sarah nodded at the receptionist. ‘I’m here with Marco Delmari,’ she said in a crisply confident tone.

‘And your name?’ The receptionist looked down at the register in front of her.

‘Sarah Heart.’ Sarah drummed one well-manicured hand against the desk as she waited.

‘I’m sorry, Ms Heart, but I don’t appear to have your name on my list.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Sarah looked as if she was about to turn an interesting shade of purple.

Before she could launch into a scathing remark Charlie leaned across her. ‘Excuse me, but have you got my name on the list? It’s Charlotte Hopkirk,’ she said quietly.

The woman ran her eyes over the book again. ‘Oh, yes, your name is here, Ms Hopkirk.’

‘Good, well, this is Dr Delmari’s publicist, so she should be down as well.’

‘I see.’ The girl smiled at Charlie. ‘Then I guess it’s OK for her to accompany you through. You’ll find Dr Delmari in the hospitality suite next door to studio five, the door should be open.’

‘Thank you.’

‘What on earth are you thanking her for?’ Sarah muttered as they moved away from the desk. ‘She was clearly incompetent.’

‘Your name wasn’t down, so it was hardly her fault. Anyway no harm done; it’s just a good job that I stayed with you,’ Charlie couldn’t resist adding.

Sarah slanted her a narrow-eyed look but said nothing.

They found Marco talking to the station manager. He smiled over at Charlie as she walked through the door. Then he turned his attention to his publicist. ‘Sarah, this is a surprise! There was no need for you to rush down here.’

‘I wanted to, Marco. I’m so sorry I was held up,’ she said smoothly. Charlie noticed how her voice had softened now that she was talking to Marco. Then she flashed a winning smile at the station manager. ‘Sarah Heart,’ she said as she extended her hand. ‘Marco’s publicist.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Ms Heart.’

‘Call me Sarah, please,’ she practically purred.

‘Well, Sarah, we are just waiting for our DJ Sam Richmond to come through and have a word with Marco then we’ll go through to the studio.’

‘How is Sam?’ Sarah gushed. ‘It’s a while since I saw him.’

‘You’re a friend?’ the station manager asked.

‘Oh, yes, Sam and I go way back.’

He was probably ex-husband number three, Charlie thought darkly. According to gossip Sarah had been married and divorced four times, which was no mean feat by the age of thirty-eight. Ex-husband number four had been a top TV executive and a wealthy man. It was through his contacts and money that Sarah had started her business.

The DJ came in at that moment and Sarah made a performance out of greeting him and introducing him to Marco. She probably wouldn’t have bothered to include Charlie only Sam Richmond smiled at her and reached to shake her hand.

‘Oh, and that’s Charlie,’ she tagged on, her tone less than gracious. ‘She’s—’

‘My right-hand woman,’ Marco finished the sentence smoothly.

Charlie caught Marco’s eye and he smiled at her. Something about that smile made her feel warm and special. It was a delicious feeling. She almost had to shake herself to get rid of its dreamy effect.

A few moments later she was left alone in the hospitality suite as Sarah accompanied the men through to the studio. Charlie poured herself a coffee from a pot that was sitting on the sideboard and sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs to wait. She could see the others through the glass partition between her and the studio next door but she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could only hear the record that was being played on air.

She found herself watching Marco, studying him as he talked. She liked the sincerity in his eyes as he listened to people, and she noticed that when he smiled he had a dimple in his cheek. As she glanced away her eyes connected with Sarah’s and she knew the other woman had caught her watching her boss. Hastily she looked away feeling guiltily uncomfortable…although for the life of her she couldn’t work out why.

She had just got up to replenish her coffee when Sarah joined her. ‘I’ll have one of those while you’re there,’ she told Charlie as she sat down. ‘White, no sugar.’

Charlie poured her the drink and handed it across. She noticed how Sarah didn’t even bother to say thank you. She really was quite rude, Charlie thought with annoyance.

Sarah watched as she sat back down in her chair opposite. ‘So…’ she murmured idly as she crossed her long legs and smoothed down the silky material of her skirt, ‘tell me, Charlie…how long have you been in love with Marco?’

The outrageously personal question was asked with such nonchalance that for a moment Charlie wondered if she had misheard. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’ She stared at the woman in astonishment.

‘I think you know,’ Sarah continued smoothly.

‘All I know is that you are asking me an absurd question!’

‘Am I?’ Sarah shrugged. ‘From where I’m watching it seems blindingly obvious that you have a thing for him.’

Charlie was so outraged that she could barely find her voice. ‘I’m not even going to deign to answer that!’ she finally muttered.

‘You know you aren’t his type, don’t you?’ Sarah smiled but her eyes were cold. ‘And I’m not just talking about the fact that Marco only seems to date women who look like super-models, I’m talking about the fact that Marco would never fall for a romantic. He’s far too practical for that. So I’m afraid that unless you take those rose-coloured glasses off when you look at him…I think you have a problem.’

The sardonic tone grated on Charlie. ‘I think the only problem around here is you,’ she said succinctly. ‘And I’ll thank you to keep your weird opinions to yourself.’

Sarah just laughed.

At that moment the music stopped and the radio interview started. Charlie tried to switch off from the preposterous accusations and concentrate on the conversation in the studio but Sarah’s words kept echoing around in her mind with disturbing emphasis.

How long have you been in love with Marco?

CHAPTER THREE

‘ARE you OK?’ Marco’s quiet tone cut across the silence in the car.

‘Absolutely fine.’ Charlie changed gear with a grating sound that exactly mirrored the way she was feeling inside.

‘You haven’t spoken much since leaving the radio studio.’

Because she couldn’t believe the audacity of Sarah Heart—imagine asking a question like that! If anyone was in love with Marco Delmari it was Sarah herself. The woman had been almost sycophantic towards Marco as they were leaving the station. She’d invited him over to her apartment for dinner on Sunday, ostensibly to discuss his American tour, but by the tone of her voice she’d had more in mind than business discussions…and Marco had accepted the invitation quite happily. But maybe the thing that had annoyed her most of all was the way Sarah had looked at her as Marco accepted Sarah’s invitation. There had been triumph and disdain in the other woman’s eyes, as if to say you will never hook a man like Marco Delmari.

‘Well, you know me, I’m always quiet,’ Charlie murmured as she realised Marco was waiting for a reply. ‘The interview went well,’ she said, trying to change the direction of her thoughts. She wasn’t in love with Marco and it didn’t matter what Sarah Heart thought.

‘Yes,’ Marco frowned. ‘Except for the questions about my love life; I didn’t think they were relevant.’

‘No, they weren’t, but I suppose he had to ask. People will be interested in your private life.’

‘You are starting to sound like Sarah,’ Marco said drily.

‘Sorry!’ The last thing she wanted was to sound like Sarah Heart!

‘That’s OK. Maybe on reflection she has a point.’

Charlie glanced over at him in horror. ‘No she hasn’t!’

Marco smiled. ‘From an academic’s point of view she hasn’t. However, I’m not aiming my book solely at academics. It’s for the mass market and I have to give Sarah her due, she is a good businesswoman. She knows how to work the media…knows what sells.’

Charlie wanted to correct him and tell him that Sarah Heart just had her eye on the main chance…that she fancied a sexy doctor as husband number five. But she pulled herself back. ‘You’re not considering her idea of entering into a relationship as…as some kind of a publicity stunt, are you?’ she asked instead, her tone laced with incredulity.

‘Well, I’m still not completely convinced. But I suppose having a partner around at the moment wouldn’t go amiss.’ He shrugged. ‘But it would have to be somebody who is on a similar wavelength to me—’

‘You mean someone who wouldn’t get carried away by it all and imagine herself in love with you?’ Charlie guessed wryly.

‘No, I mean someone who believes in my ideas,’ Marco corrected her pointedly. ‘However, as my book tour starts in just a few weeks, I’d have to be quick to find a suitable candidate in that time.’

‘Oh, I’m sure you would be able to dig up someone acceptable very quickly,’ Charlie murmured. Sarah Heart for one, she thought sardonically.

The edge in her voice wasn’t lost on Marco. ‘The idea of a relationship without love really offends your sense of romance, doesn’t it?’

‘No. I just have doubts that it would work out in the long term.’

‘What kind of doubts?’

‘Well, you know…that it would actually last.’

‘Of course it will,’ Marco said softly. ‘I’ve backed up the hypothesis with exhaustive research studies. If two people are serious about wanting to get married…or about making a long-term commitment…and they follow the steps I’ve outlined in the book, then the relationship should be successful regardless of whether they are in love or not, the main proviso being both parties are willing to work at the agreement.’

‘It doesn’t sound very romantic. I always thought that all Italians were incredibly impulsive and passionate,’ Charlie murmured thoughtfully. ‘But you don’t really fit the criteria…do you?’

‘What makes you think that?’ Marco gave her a half-smile that made her tingle with sudden awareness of him. ‘Being impulsive and passionate with someone is one thing…making a lifelong commitment to them is quite another.’

‘Well…yes…obviously…’ Charlie was mortified now; she wished she hadn’t said that. ‘I was just talking about the romantic side of a partnership.’

‘But that is my whole point. For a relationship to be successful you’re supposed to work at that side of things as well.’

‘But if you are both in love to begin with, surely romance follows naturally like night follows day.’

‘Nice theory.’ Marco smiled at that. ‘But unfortunately not true. Very often love is just an illusory feeling…a misleading mirage…and even if it is not you can’t rely totally on just that feeling to sustain a relationship over the long term. You need to look deeper than that.’

Charlie looked over at him wryly. ‘Maybe you just don’t believe in love.’ She couldn’t resist the comment.

‘When making a long-term commitment I think it is an emotion that should be approached with caution.’ Marco’s voice was dry. ‘All too often people confuse making love with being in love…two different things entirely. It’s fine to have wild nights of passion and not think too deeply about things. But before you make any promises you should think with your head, not your heart.’

‘Sometimes you sound more cynical than sensible.’

‘I’m just a realist, Charlie.’ He shrugged. ‘I believe if you are looking for a successful long-term relationship it’s best to be practical, not starry-eyed. And, as bizarre as it sounds, my findings are that if you can disregard love from the equation you can see a relationship more clearly. But maybe the theory wouldn’t be successful for someone like you.’

‘What do you mean, someone like me?’ Charlie pulled the car to a halt in front of his house and turned to look at him.

‘Well…’ he shrugged in that particular way of his ‘…you’re obviously an incurable romantic.’

‘I wish you would stop saying that.’ Charlie glared at him.

‘Sorry, Ms Hopkirk.’ His tone was teasing. ‘But that is my considered opinion and the prognosis isn’t good, I’m afraid. There’s no hope for you.’

Unfortunately Charlie failed to see the humour behind his words. ‘Well, that is where you are wrong…actually.’ She emphasised the word with derision. ‘I was cured from my…as you would term…delusional state a long time ago. I got divorced and became a single parent. That has a way of grounding the senses, believe me.’

‘Hey, I was just making a light-hearted remark!’ Marco held up his hands and looked at her with that glint in his eye that she was starting to recognise so well.

‘No you weren’t, you were being condescending. Well, yes, I do like roses, soft, honeyed words and moonlight…but I’m not so stupid that I would fall in love and get married just because they are applied to a situation. And let me tell you, I’m looking for something much more realistic next time around, believe me.’

‘Are you?’

The sudden interest in his tone pulled her up and made her realise that she had just lost her temper, but why she had got so steamed up she didn’t know. Maybe because she was still smarting from Sarah’s earlier remarks, or maybe it was because she didn’t like the idea that Marco seemed to think that she was some kind of dreamer who had completely unrealistic expectations of life and wasn’t to be taken seriously. Just because she believed in true love and romance didn’t mean she was bewildered. Well, perhaps this was her chance to prove—even if she did have to lie a little bit! ‘Of course I want something realistic. I’ve made one mistake in my life by choosing the wrong partner and I don’t want to make another,’ she answered him hesitantly. ‘Sorry to disappoint you but my days of being starry-eyed are long gone. Deep down I am also a realist.’

‘So are you saying that if the terms were right you wouldn’t be averse to the idea of a serious relationship based on common sense rather than love?’ Marco continued wryly.

‘Terms?’ Charlie frowned.

‘Marriage, or cohabitation, should be treated like a business partnership; you need to know exactly what you want out of it before you enter into it.’ Marco noticed the high colour on her cheekbones and smiled. ‘You see…you do find the idea too clinical…distasteful even. I rest my case.’

‘No! If the terms were right I might consider such an idea.’ She raised her head defiantly. She wasn’t going to back down.

Marco gave her a sardonic smile. ‘Well I don’t believe you…I think your heart would be far too soft and emotional to ever be happy with that kind of an arrangement.’

‘And what are you basing that opinion on?’ Charlie asked dismissively. ‘The fact that I listen to romantic music?’

‘No…I’m basing it on what you have told me about yourself…about your parents’ marriage…about your date last night.’

‘You don’t know anything about me.’ Charlie shrugged. ‘But believe what you want! Now…I think we should forget this nonsense and get back to work.’ She tried to switch the subject and reached for the door handle, but Marco touched her arm, stopping her from getting out of the car.

‘So what are you looking for in your next relationship?’

The blunt question took her completely by surprise. She looked back at him and as she met the seriousness of his dark eyes she realised that perhaps this conversation had gone a little too far. ‘Well…. I…. hadn’t really thought about it that deeply. I mean…I was only speaking hypothetically.’

He was looking at her very intently as if he could see into her very soul…see the romantic streak lurking beneath the surface. And to her dismay she felt herself blushing wildly. This wasn’t fair—he had no right to ask such personal questions!

Marco laughed. ‘A word of warning, Charlie; never try and play poker, you wouldn’t be much good.’

It was that derisive, cynical laugh that pushed her over the edge. ‘Well, OK, then, if you really want to know, next time around I’d want…companionship.’ She pulled the word wildly out of mid-air.

‘Companionship?’ He didn’t know whether to believe her or not. She could see the dark light in his eyes was tinged with just a hint of uncertainty.

‘Well yes…’ She held his dark gaze determinedly. ‘What’s the matter—isn’t that practical enough for you?’

‘We’re not talking about me…we are talking about you and what you would want,’ Marco corrected her softly. ‘And would companionship really be enough for you?’

She wished those dark eyes of his weren’t so intense…Companionship would be good but she knew deep down it would never be enough for her. She would want a deep and passionate love…nothing less would suffice. She wished she’d never stated this lie now. Charlie glanced away from him. ‘Obviously the guy would have to care deeply about Jack and be good with him.’ She added the provision hastily. That at least was the truth.

‘Obviously.’ Marco nodded.

‘As you said in your book, it’s important not to allow emotions to cloud reality.’ She threw the line in for good measure.

‘You have been paying attention.’ He smiled.

She frowned; was he being facetious? ‘No, I’ve been through a divorce and, as I said before, it has a way of grounding the senses. Why do you think I’ve chosen internet dating? Let’s face it; it is the ultimate practical way to meet someone. You read through a list of a person’s attributes and decide from that if you have something in common. There are no hearts and flowers about choosing a partner using that method, I assure you.’ She left out the fact that it had been her friend Karen who had talked her into it.

‘I guess so.’ Marco frowned for a moment. ‘Maybe you are a little more practical than I gave you credit for.’

‘A lot more practical,’ she corrected him quickly. Even though she veered towards the romantic, that didn’t mean she wasn’t sensible.

Marco held up his hands. ‘Obviously I was very wrong in my assessment of you.’

‘Yes, you were.’ She smiled, pleased with the new note of respect in his tone. And now she knew why she had felt so compelled to lie. The label of incurable romantic was not a good one to have around Marco.

His eyes swept over her thoughtfully. He’d always had Charlie down as someone who could never view a relationship in just practical terms, but now that she had convinced him otherwise perhaps she was just what he needed…‘So, now that we have established the fact that we are both on a similar wavelength…so to speak…how about shelving your internet-dating idea for a while and coming out to dinner with me?’

The question was asked so nonchalantly that for a moment Charlie wondered if she had misheard. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘I was asking you out for dinner…you know, the meal that comes after lunch and before bed.’

The teasing, provocative words caused Charlie’s heart to slam hard against her chest. She didn’t know how to take this sudden turn of conversation at all. ‘As in…a date?’

‘Yes…as in a date,’ Marco said softly and suddenly his tone was very serious.

As their eyes met Charlie felt a flare of pure sexual attraction so raw it took her breath away. She couldn’t deny that she was wildly attracted to him. Then common sense kicked in as she reminded herself that Marco was not only her boss but also a man who only dated women who looked as if they’d come straight off a catwalk.

She tilted up her chin. ‘And why would you do that?’

Marco noted the expression of surprise and consternation in her eyes.

‘Why not?’ he countered quietly.

‘Well, for one thing, you’re my boss and it’s not good to mix business with pleasure.’ She decided to concentrate on practicalities, with her words stiff and formal.

‘I didn’t realise you were so conventional.’ His mouth slanted in a half-smile.

‘I was being sensible.’

‘Well, as you know, I’m all for being sensible.’ He regarded her with a wry, teasing gleam in his eye. ‘But you’ve intrigued me now and I want to find out more about this deeply practical side of your nature and what you are searching for in your next relationship.’

‘I’m not really searching for anything!’ Charlie said hurriedly.

‘That’s not what you just said.’

‘I was just speaking hypothetically…. just…you know…proving that my poker skills are better than yours.’

‘But you told me that you were specifically looking for a realistic type of relationship.’ Marco murmured the words silkily, knowing how she would react. ‘I kind of got the impression that you might have been sussing me out…testing the water…finding out if I was up for the idea.’

‘I certainly was not!’ Charlie was furious. ‘How could you think such a thing?’

‘Very easily when you are laying out your requirements in such an open and honest way.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake…’ Charlie trailed off as she suddenly noticed the glint of devilment in his dark eyes. ‘Are you winding me up?’ she asked suspiciously.

‘Just a little…’ He smiled and his eyes moved over her countenance thoughtfully.

Something about the way he was looking at her made her feel extremely self-conscious. ‘Well, I think the joke has gone far enough.’ She glanced away from him, feeling foolish now. ‘We should get back to work—’

‘Hey, not so fast.’ He put a hand on her arm as she made to turn away from him again. ‘You still haven’t given me your answer. Will you have dinner with me?’

She turned back and regarded him with a frown. ‘I told you the joke has gone far enough, Marco.’

‘I wasn’t joking about dinner,’ he said quietly.

He watched the scepticism flicking through her eyes. ‘Of course I was serious,’ he added gently. ‘I told you…you’ve intrigued me.’

She noticed how his gaze moved over her with leisurely appraisal. There was something in its warmth that touched her defences for a second. ‘And why is that?’ she asked huskily before she could stop herself.

‘Well, for one thing, it’s very rare that I meet a woman who views relationships in my level-headed terms.’

The matter-of-fact answer snapped her quickly back to reality. ‘Let me guess. You want to get inside my brain to research a woman’s take on practicality.’ She tried to sound flippant, but deep down she was aware of an irrational curl of hurt. She knew he wasn’t asking her out for her beauty, but did he have to be so blunt about it?

‘I wouldn’t have worded it quite like that,’ he contradicted her softly. For a moment his eyes drifted down over the soft curves of her body.

In fact, whom was he kidding? he thought drily. He wouldn’t put it like that at all. Perhaps the reason he had been so concerned about her internet dating last night was more complex than he’d first thought. He was a man who had a healthy sexual appetite and during the last couple of days he had been surprised to find that there was something about the way she looked at him sometimes…the way she moved…that turned him on. But, as she so rightly had pointed out a few moments ago, business and pleasure did not mix.

He had mockingly accused her of being conventional for having such sentiments, but in truth weren’t they part of the reason he had felt so at ease around Charlie these last few months? After the uncomfortable atmosphere his last PA had generated it had been great to be around someone who thought like him and wanted to keep the working environment strictly complication-free. In fact he had been so at ease with Charlie that he had enjoyed trying to draw her out from behind those reserved barriers of hers, and now somehow he had managed to become interested in her sexually. Being interested in her in that way was not the prudent and practical thing to do. But…now he was starting to revise that opinion.

The clinical part of his mind had clicked on when she had talked about finding something more realistic for her next relationship. Maybe there was an opportunity for business and pleasure to mix very well indeed here…Maybe it would be OK to pursue Charlie…maybe…in practical terms she was just what he needed right now.

‘Perhaps we should try each other out for size.’ His eyes drifted back towards her face.

The sudden change of tack took her by surprise. There was something almost hypnotic about the smoothly sensual Italian tones. ‘Now you are just being…’ Charlie struggled to find the right word. She could hardly think straight when he looked at her like that ‘…outrageous.’

‘Am I?’ He smiled. ‘You were talking earlier this morning about chemistry…There is more than a frisson of that between us…don’t you think?’

‘No!’ She cut across him abruptly. He was moving into dangerous territory now that she didn’t want to analyse.

Her eyes were drawn to his lips…they were curved in a derisive smile…but they were also sexily inviting. Was it her imagination or was he very close? She could smell the tang of his aftershave, fresh and very inviting.

She noticed that his eyes were on her lips. Unconsciously she moistened them with the tip of her tongue. A strong feeling of desire suddenly laced the air between them. It was so heavy that Charlie could feel it thundering through her, making her heart race, twisting a latent need into life with shocking force.

In that instant she wanted him to kiss her—no, more than that, she wanted him to take her into his arms and make passionate love to her…

The knowledge rang alarm bells inside her but she couldn’t stem the feelings, they were flowing through her with the most amazing force. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had turned her on so completely like this without even touching her!

‘How about I pick you up tonight about seven?’

The smooth words were more of an order than a suggestion. He really was insufferably sure of himself, Charlie thought hazily, and really she should tell him right now that she had other plans.

But for some reason the words just wouldn’t come out. She swallowed hard as he reached out a hand and touched the side of her face; although his fingers were a whisper-soft caress against her skin, she felt them with such a pleasurable, forceful intensity that involuntarily she closed her eyes.

Charlie wanted that caress to go on and on, it was as if she were falling into a very deep, spiralling trap with nowhere to go except towards the light of desire and need. She had never felt like this before, it was as if she wasn’t in control of her own senses…it was scary and yet it was wonderful at the same time.

Then Marco pulled back, leaving her shaking and breathless.

‘So I’ll see you tonight, yes?’

His voice was so arrogantly cool and calm that it brought her back to her senses as sharply as if he had slapped her. Shocked by the intensity of her disappointment because he hadn’t kissed her, she struggled to pull herself together.

‘We’ve got to work together, Marco,’ she murmured reprovingly.

‘Yes.’ He nodded and then grinned. ‘Have I ever told you that I like that prim and proper attitude of yours? It’s very refreshing.’

‘It’s not supposed to be refreshing, it’s supposed to be sensible.’

He smiled. ‘You’re talking my language again.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘And yes, I agree there are things we need to discuss…sensibly. Unfortunately there is no time now. It will have to wait until tonight.’

She shook her head…mesmerised by his determined attitude. ‘I couldn’t get someone to look after Jack tonight. It’s too short notice—’

‘OK, lunch tomorrow.’ He cut across her nonchalantly. ‘I’ll pick you up at about twelve-thirty.’

‘Marco…’ But she didn’t have time to say anything else because he had turned and opened the car door to step out into the bright afternoon sunlight.

This really was preposterous, Charlie thought as she grabbed for the door handle and stepped out after him. ‘I am not going on a date with you, Marco!’

‘Why not?’

Why not indeed? As Charlie looked across at his tall handsome physique she was asking herself the same question and weakness started to invade. With determination she raised her chin and forced herself to be level-headed. She couldn’t go out with him because he was her boss, she reminded herself sharply. Business and pleasure didn’t go together. And added to that he was only interested in her now because she had lied to him about the type of person she was. He had admitted earlier that it would help endorse his theories and his book to have a girlfriend around for a while who thought the same way he did. Well, that position definitely wouldn’t suit her! ‘Because…it wouldn’t work out,’ she told him firmly.

‘I told you earlier, Charlie, in order to find out if something will be successful you have to give it a chance.’ He shrugged. ‘However, you can relax, there are a few work-related issues I’d like to discuss with you anyway. So tomorrow would be a good chance to do that.’

‘What kind of work issues?’

‘We’ll discuss that tomorrow.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’ve got to get over to St Agnes Hospital now to deal with two referrals.’

He sounded very calm and assured and it was light-years away from how she was feeling. She was utterly confused. Had tomorrow’s lunch date just been relegated to a business meeting?

‘So let me get this right; you told your boss that you weren’t averse to having an intimate relationship with him based on compatibility alone and he suddenly asked you out?’ Karen was sitting at the kitchen table analysing the story.

‘I didn’t mention the word intimate,’ Charlie corrected her quickly. ‘And I wasn’t talking about having a relationship with him, I was just talking hypothetically! He took my words out of context.’

‘Hmm.’ Karen looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

‘I was just trying to convince him that I’m not a hopeless romantic.’ Charlie tried to make light of the subject.

She had phoned her friend Karen as soon as she got home from work because she had felt she needed to talk about what had happened. Karen had then come straight around to her house to go over it all again, and Charlie wished now she hadn’t mentioned it; it was all too uncomfortable.

‘Because Sarah Heart accused you of being in love with him?’

‘Well, that was part of it, the other part was that Marco can be quite condescending when it comes to people who are…emotional rather than practical.’ She put a pot of tea down on the kitchen table between them and sat down again. ‘Anyway, let’s just forget about it, shall we? It’s all rubbish. I’ve no intention of going out with Marco on a date.’

‘Why not?’ Karen leaned back in her chair. ‘Going by what I’ve seen of him on TV, he is quite a dish.’

‘Yes, he’s very good-looking.’ Charlie shrugged. ‘But he’s my boss and…well, for a start, we think differently; he doesn’t believe that love is the most important thing in a relationship and I do.’

‘So you lied…so what?’ Karen shrugged. ‘It’s a mere formality anyway.’

‘Not to Marco it’s not. I told you he’s very serious about viewing a relationship in a purely practical way.’

‘Well, if I were in your shoes I’d just continue to pretend that I was Ms Practicality. He doesn’t need to know that your favourite film is Sleepless in Seattle…does he?’

Charlie laughed.

‘And he’s only your boss for another month—then your contract is finished,’ Karen reminded her succinctly. She raked a hand through her short brown hair. ‘You could risk a short involvement with him to see how things go.’

‘And let him think that I was propositioning him when I said I’d consider a relationship based on practicalities…because that is what he thinks, you know. The guy is pretty big-headed.’ Charlie shook her head. ‘Anyway, I’ve already turned him down so it’s too late for all that. If we go out tomorrow it will be to discuss work. He’s quite happy with that. His interest in me is businesslike anyway. ‘

‘You’re just frightened of getting hurt again, aren’t you?’ Karen observed suddenly. ‘You can’t keep hiding yourself away like this, Charlie. You’ve been doing that since your divorce. You’ve got to get out there again.’

‘I know.’ Charlie reached out and poured the tea. ‘But I don’t think Marco is the right person for me. Now, let’s change the subject. I don’t want to think about him a moment longer. How are things at the agency?’

To Charlie’s relief Karen let it drop. ‘Actually they are a bit chaotic.’

Charlie was on the books of Karen’s employment agency and knew only too well that things were manic in there. From time to time in between contracts she went in to help her friend run the place and it was an arrangement that suited them both. Karen got extra help from someone she could trust implicitly, which meant she could take some time off to be with her children, and Charlie got a job to fill some of the gaps between her temping contracts.

‘It’s peaks and troughs, it will calm down next week probably,’ Charlie said soothingly.

‘Maybe.’ Karen put her cup down. ‘But I’m seriously considering selling the place, Charlie. You know I told you I’d had a take-over bid from a rival agency?’

Charlie nodded. Her friend had been stressed for a while trying to balance her home life with work and had talked about selling last month, but hadn’t been offered enough money.

‘Well, they’ve upped the offer.’

‘That’s really good, Karen!’

‘Yes, except for one thing: I think they will close my office here. They are a big company and basically they are just interested in squeezing out the competition and covering contracts with their own people.’

‘I see.’ Charlie felt a pang of apprehension as she realised this probably wasn’t going to bode well for her future work. Then, seeing the worried expression on her friend’s face, she quickly pulled herself together. ‘Karen you must do what is right for you,’ she said sincerely.

‘I just hate the thought that this isn’t going to work well for my staff,’ Karen said with a shrug. ‘And then there is you. You’ve always been so brilliant at bailing me out in the office—’

‘Karen, nothing stays the same in life, and I’m probably lucky to have got away with temping for as long as I have.’ Charlie smiled and topped up her tea. ‘Whatever you decide, I’ll be behind you,’ she said firmly. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m a survivor.’

CHAPTER FOUR

CHARLIE had the strangest dream that night. She dreamt that Marco Delmari was making love to her. She could feel his hands on her body…his lips on her lips…demanding, ruthless yet so erotic that she woke up breathless, her heart pounding.

‘Foolish in the extreme,’ she berated herself as she lay looking up at the ceiling. Perhaps she had been so long without sex that her brain was turning to mush.

Karen was right, she thought. She really needed to get back out into the world of relationships again. Although she’d had a few dates since her divorce none of the men had been attractive to her. The problem was that she couldn’t have sex with just anybody…she had to have feelings for a man before she could sleep with him. Consequentially the last person she had slept with was her husband four and a half years ago.

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